Painful. Debilitating. And preventable? What you need to know about adhesions.

Adhesions, are scar tissue that forms between organs and tissues after surgery. The scar tissue forms after an injury that can happen during normal surgical practices, like stitching or numbing. The formation process occurs over 7 days.1-3 

How adhesions form

Day 1
Tissue swells when it is injured during surgery. The body responds by bringing a sticky material called fibrin to the area.2,3


Day 3
Fibrin can act like glue, causing the injured area to stick to the organs and tissues around it.2,3


Day 5
Normally, fibrin dissolves and is replaced with normal tissue as the body heals. But, in some cases, decreased blood flow to the injured area prevents the fibrin from dissolving.2,3


Day 7
The result is an adhesion.3

What can adhesions lead to?

  • Small bowel obstruction4
  • Infertility5
  • Chronic pelvic pain6 
  • Problems with future surgeries and treatments7-9

Not all adhesions cause problems. But those that do lead to issues must be treated with surgery.3

Seprafilm® can help reduce adhesions.

Doctors use a number of ways to help prevent adhesions, such as handling organs and tissues gently, shortening surgery times, and using starch-free and latex-free surgical gloves during the operation.3 However, even the most skilled doctors using the best methods may not be able to avoid adhesions without the help of an adhesion barrier such as Seprafilm. Learn more.

Indication
Seprafilm® Adhesion Barrier is indicated for the reduction of post-surgical adhesions in patients undergoing abdominal or pelvic laparotomy.

Important Safety Information
Seprafilm should not be wrapped around an intestinal anastomosis as such usage may result in increased anastomotic leak related events, such as abscess or peritonitis. The safety and effectiveness of Seprafilm has not been established in combination with other adhesion prevention products and/or in surgical procedures not within the abdominopelvic cavity. The safety and effectiveness of Seprafilm has also not been evaluated in cases of pregnancy, malignancy, or frank infection. The type and frequency of adverse events reported are consistent with events typically seen following abdominopelvic surgery when used as directed.

Please see full prescribing information.

References

  1. Seprafilm Adhesion Barrier [package insert]. Cambridge, MA: Genzyme Biosurgery; 2008.
  2. Raftery AT. Regeneration of parietal and visceral peritoneum: an electron microscopical study. J Anat. 1973;115(3):375-392.
  3. Monk BJ, Berman ML, Montz FJ. Adhesions after extensive gynecologic surgery: clinical significance, etiology, and prevention. Am J Obstet Gynecol. 1994;170(5, pt 1):1396-1403.
  4. Ellis H, Moran BJ, Thompson JN, et al. Adhesion-related hospital readmissions after abdominal and pelvic surgery: a retrospective cohort study. Lancet. 1999;353(9163):1476-1480.
  5. National Digestive Diseases Information Clearinghouse. Abdominal Adhesions. Bethesda, MD: National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases, National Institutes of Health, US Dept of Health and Human Services; 2009.
  6. van der Krabben AA, Dijkstra FR, Nieuwenhuijzen M, Reijnen MMPJ, Schaapveld M, van Goor H. Morbidity and mortality of inadvertent enterotomy during adhesiotomy. Br J Surg. 2000;87(4):467-471.
  7. Nichols DH, Clarke-Pearson DL, eds. Gynecologic, Obstetric, and Related Surgery. 2nd ed. St Louis, MO: Mosby; 2000.
  8. Eifel PJ. Radiation therapy. In: Berek JS, Hacker NF, eds. Practical Gynecologic Oncology, 4th ed. Philadelphia, PA: Lippincott Williams & Wilkins; 2004: 119-161.

Seprafilm works

Seprafilm has been shown to reduce adhesions and some of the problems they can cause.

See the studies